Seasons Change and Trees Lose Their Leaves
by eternal-state-of-voorpret
Summary: It's Luke's first Christmas at Camp Half-Blood, and he can't seem to get the image of Thalia in decorations out of his mind. At least, if nothing, Thalia was an evergreen-she would outlast him, probably by decades, probably in Christmas lights. Also featuring: Annabeth the elf, Chiron in ugly Christmas sweaters and a budding friendship between Lee and Luke.


**DISCLAIMER: THE WORLD OF PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS AND ITS CANON IN NO WAY BELONGS TO ME. ITS CHARACTERS, PREMISES, IDEAS, ETC. BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN AND DISNEY HYPERION**.

* * *

It had been Silena Beauregard's idea.

No, scratch that. It had been _Beckendorf's_ idea. The son of Hephaestus, ever the holiday man, had taken up the job of decorating the camp for Christmas by himself, with little assistance from his unfortunate cabinmates and obvious to-everyone-but-themselves girlfriend, Silena.

They'd gone all out: They'd wrapped tinsel and streamers around the tables in the Mess Hall, twined holly through the seats in the arena, hung bells and wreaths and reindeer cut outs on the cabins and the Big House, placed poinsettia bowls and scented candles that smelled of gingerbread and holly on any and very table they could find.

They'd hung mistletoe from every doorframe and low hanging tree branch they could find, and in a notable burst of zeal, had even placed a replica of the nativity scene in the amphitheatre, despite its being tauntingly close to the sacrificial flame.

All this, along with the undercurrent of Christmas carols and hot chocolate in the air, Luke had just begun to think to himself _Hey_ , _maybe this Christmas won't be so bad after all,_ when it had come to the Camp's notice that they hadn't put up a Christmas tree.

It had also come to the Camp's notice that there was an actual pine tree in their midst this year.

And so, it had been decided, Thalia's pine tree would be decorated.

Whosever idea it had been, Luke thought it was a bad one. He'd yet to get used to Thalia as a tree (was that even a thing you _could_ get used to?) and so far anyone even grazing their arm against the pine tree had his wincing because _what if it hurt her?_

It had been months and Luke still wanted to rip his hair out at the choice of transformation. He'd tried to reason it out: Yes, better a tree than an animal which could run away, and yes, better an evergreen than a deciduous which lost its leaves in winter, but did Zeus _really_ have to turn her into a pine tree? Oaks were better-only their acorns ever got pulled into this Christmas mess.

"Uh, Luke?" Lee Fletcher's voice snapped him out of his reverie. Right now, the son of Apollo and him were trying to cut out snowmen and bell outlines from felt paper, on the order of Chiron.

Luke liked Lee well enough. He was no Thalia, but he was fun and experienced and an amazing older brother and counsellor to Cabin Seven. If maybe he had to pick a best friend or some shit from this godsforsaken Camp (and not considering traumatised seven year olds) he'd have to go with Lee.

But yes, he was no Thalia.

"You know," Lee continued as he made his way through another felt snowman. "I like Christmas and what it stands for as much as the next person, but our parents are Greek gods. Don't you think it's just a bit...well, weird to celebrate a festival honouring another-aggressively monotheistic-God?"

"I don't think they care much." It's what Luke believed, honestly, and it could answer many of the questions new, hopeful demigods have for them.

Lee is no new, hopeful demigod. He's the counsellor of one of the largest and most crowded cabins and he knows better than most people what godly parents entitle. It's a slippery slope that is not made for sleighing down, especially not at light hearted questions about the festival of joy and shit. There are more appropriate moments for that.

"Right, anyway." Maybe he could sense the bitterness in Luke's voice, because Lee changed the topic. Abruptly. "We got a new camper. Will. Will Solace. Maybe five or six. Sweet kid. Mother was a country alt singer or something down in Texas."

"Was?" Luke asked.

Lee winced. "Died on the way to camp. Right on the border."

"Oh gods."

"Poor kid. He probably doesn't know much. Chiron grabbed him just as they neared the boundary, so I don't think he saw any of the blood or gore...but well..."

"You never know."

"Exactly."

They continued snipping away in silence.

"Hey Luke?"

"Hm?"

"Do _you_ like Christmas?"

Luke looked up, trying to school his features into neutral territory. The truth was: Yes. He bloody loved it.

But the truth was also this: It was the first Christmas he'd spent without Thalia in a good few years, and really, it could go fuck itself. But then again, so could every other day lately, so it didn't make it any special. So far, Christmas had only served as an other reminder of what he'd lost. Personally, if he was conducting a survey of holidays, he'd put it down for "Work in Progress", and then also maybe "Capitalist Propaganda-at least in the USA".

However, he couldn't tell Lee any of this so Luke just shrugged. "Sure thing."

"You don't seem too enthusiastic about it."

Luke shrugged again. "Eh. It's alright I guess. Pretty aggressively celebrated if you ask me. For one thing do we really need these many snowmen?"

Lee apparently didn't see through his bluff, or if he did, he ignored it in lieu of cracking a grin. "Silena is very into aggressively celebrating things. Just wait till Valentine's Day."

"Let me guess: naturally enthusiastic person who is also a daughter of Aphrodite who loves her best friend of four years in way more than a platonic way but refuses to admit it-Valentine's going to make the Camp puke hearts isn't it?"

"Hearts yes, but also chocolates."

Luke couldn't help but grin at that. "You know, one Valentine when I was on the run, we had nothing to eat and Annabeth had caught a fever and we were really desperate-really we'd eat anything. Then one day we came across this sign on one of the shops-about some give away where you had to submit love letters in exchange for a box of chocolates. So naturally, Thalia had this crazy idea of trying to cajole this chocolate shop keeper-" he broke off sombrely. "Uh-yeah."

"Sounds fun." Lee said cautiously. Then, brightening up, "She seems to be the type of person who likes to celebrate stuff. I bet she'd like Camp Christmas."

Luke tried not to mull over it too long. Not really in the years that he'd known her. But one Christmas, when an old church-goer-rounding in maybe eighty- had given them a box of fudge and a good portion of turkey as a Christmas charity, Thalia had let it slip that some Christmases with her mother hadn't been half bad, because if nothing, at least there were the decorations and food and some kid who she apparently had taken care of sometimes (she had broken off quickly at that) and fairy lights-

Luke's world careened sideways.

He wondered for the first time, even if he didn't like it, if maybe Thalia would enjoy this, the lights and the decorations and them enjoying themselves. He wondered (not for the first time) about Thalia tangled up in the decorations-not the pine tree Thalia but actually laughing, demigod Thalia, with eyes that glowed with the lights.

"Lee," Luke shot to his feet, abandoning the bell he'd been trying to paint. "Do you think Gus is going to mind terribly if I steal our cabin's Christmas lights?"

Lee looked sceptical. "You're stealing from your own cabin?"

"It's for a good cause. Believe me." Thalia had to like it. She had to _love_ it. But he knew there was only one way she'd accept being decked in Christmas ornaments and that way was by Luke.

Luke watched as realisation dawned on Lee's face, then slyness. "The pine tree is still not decorated if that's what you're wondering."

* * *

"What," Gus-the head counsellor of the Hermes Cabin-asked him, "in the name of _Hades_ are you trying to do?"

Luke jumped down from the ladder, having successfully untangled and removed the Christmas lights from the doorframe of Cabin Eleven. "Oh relax. I'm a son of Hermes-I'll steal a set of lights right back."

Gus stared uncomprehendingly. Then he shrugged. "Okay. You do you. But I want the doorway re-decorated by six o'clock at latest. Oh, and get a wreath while you're at it."

"Sure thing." He thought about the wreaths hanging on the other cabins. "Holly and mistletoe is fine? There are acorns."

Gus shrugged once again. "Anything as long as it isn't Cabin Five's. I love riling up the Ares Cabin as much as the next demigod, but a boar head for Christmas is just ghastly."

* * *

"I figured out what you were trying to do." Lee said, dumping a cardboard crate in the snow next to Luke. Luke, in the middle of putting (or rather, failing to put) the Christmas lights on Thalia's pine-stared in astonishment at the felt snowmen and trees and bells and candy cane. "You were right. We had too many snowmen."

Annabeth came trailing after him, dragging a box full of-judging by the label of the side-CHIRON'S EXTRA CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS (or something like that. With dyslexia, it was hard for Luke to read normal font, let alone the fancy cursive Mr.D seemed to insist on.)

Lee gestured too Annabeth vaguely. "Oh, and I also convinced Chiron to let a certain Christmas elf to help you- _in this blistering snow_. So yeah, you're welcome for that."

Luke jumped down from the branch he been perched on for the past half hour. "Lee, I could seriously kiss you right now."

"There's no need for that." Lee laughed. "Though if you're serious about a relationship, a good start would be returning our Cabin's wreath."

* * *

Silena came over with a clipboard later that day.

"Ooh nice!" She said as the lights lit up, gold and read and purple and green and the exact shade of blue of Thalia's eyes. "Good job, Luke!"

Luke just grinned, though inside he was singing-notably to Slade's " _Merry Christmas Everybody_ " in addition to other classic December hits.

"I helped." Annabeth called out knowingly.

* * *

Chiron came to see the festivities later on. He was wearing one of those red and green checked Christmas sweater with the reindeer on it that was sold in the Camp Store.

He smiled wryly at both Annabeth and Luke. "I was thinking of sending the rest of Cabin Six to help you but-it didn't seem right."

"Oh, its fine." Luke said, not believing a word of what he was saying. "They can help if they-"

"Luke-"

"How does it look?" Luke interrupted, admiring his work. "Fancy, huh?"

He saw Chiron take it all in: the ball that glinted as they sashayed around their threads, the string of reindeer circling the lowest branches, the candy cane and angels and snowmen that were hung everywhere. Of the star placed on the top, of the fairy lights that the twined around the entire tree, around Thalia, technically.

"I think," Chiron said wonderingly. "That you should be in charge of decorating the camp next year."

Luke smiled at him simply, resisting the urge to tell Chiron that he was willing to be in charge of his choice of sweater as well, next year.

"It's perfect, don't you think?" Luke asked Annabeth finally, plopping down on the the snow covered ground next to her.

The seven year old eyed the tree critically. One of the older Athena kids-some Abigail or the other-had wandered over earlier, slipping a bauble hat on and fastening a scarf around her neck, which made Annabeth look more like Santa's elf than ever. Luke and Annabeth had each been handed a mug of steaming hot chocolate, which they'd gulped down readily.

"It's missing something." Annabeth observed. She took out something from her pocket. Something that was definitely silver and definitely shiny and definitely a bracelet.

"Aegis?" Luke asked hoarsely, suddenly wishing he'd saved some of his hot chocolate.

"It only felt right." Annabeth slipped it on to one of the lower branches.

Luke tried to smile. "Well, it wasn't like it was going to be much of a use now, was it? It's fitting."

Annabeth frowned at the tree-it was a thinking frown but Luke couldn't stifle a laugh nevertheless. It might be thinking, but it was also a petulant, seven year old frown. "Really? I've got a better idea."

"Uh huh?"

"We place it up there." Annabeth said, pointing to the top of the tree. "Instead of the star."

Luke glanced up at the tree. Then in one fluid motion, he picked Annabeth up. Amidst her startled shrieks, he told her, "You're such a child of Athena. Now place it up there."

Annabeth giggled, but did as she was told. "One would only hope."

* * *

Christmas Day came and passed with a flurry of well intentioned activity-the Apollo Cabin had led a round of carols, both Christmas classics and severely distorted Greek versions. Cabins 11 and 12 put up a nativity musical, one with an outstanding amount of rapping from Mary. The Aphrodite and Hephaestus cabins had of course seen to the decorations and such. Cabins 4, 5 and 6 had (reluctantly under Chiron's orders) worked together to attend to the food, music, logistics, costumes and making sure no one killed each other (in order of importance).

All in all, Luke decided, this wasn't that sucky of a Christmas as he had feared.

"Luke!" Gus hollered from where he was lugging the Athena Cabin made props to the Big House. "Can you stop whatever admiration of the Christmas tree thing you're doing and help us here?"

Luke, startled out of his musings, nearly crashed into Lee Fletcher in the hurry to get to the props.

"Careful there." Lee said, hefting a guitar onto his back precociously. "Also, nice job on the tree."

"Nice job on _I_ _Saw_ _Mommy_ _Kissing_ _Santa_ - _Oh_ _Wait_ _Is_ _That_ _Zeus_. How are you guys not killed yet?"

Lee shot him a shit eating grin. "The gods are more lenient on festival days. Though at any rate, you shouldn't expect it to become a regular at the campfire."

"Hope not." Luke agreed. "Would be a shame to see the lot of you killed."

"Well, now, the _lot_ of us-"

" _Luke_!" Gus's shout caused them both to wince. "Help. Now!"

Lee popped his ears. "Is he still angry at you about the lights?"

"Not really." Luke shrugged. "I stole one for my Cabin from the Dionysus Cabin. They had plenty supply."

"Uh huh. And about the wreath you stole from our cabin-"

"Luke _fucking_ Castellan!"

"Would you look at that, I've got to go." Luke took off jogging towards the Big House. "Bye, Lee! Later."

Lee cursed something in Ancient Greek, vaguely insulting and vaguely fond.

 _Okay_. Luke decided. _Maybe Christmases at Camp won't be so bad after all._

* * *

 ** _Ten years later._**

Jason Grace did not remember much from his time at the Roman Camp, but with his slowly returning memories he could certainly place events that could have only occurred in Christmas time (and Saturnalia, a voice at the back of his mind whispered.).

It had only been two days since the whole fiasco with Hera, and an (according to Chiron) frustrating Winter Solstice, but that didn't seem to do much to hinder Camp's celebrations. It was apparently a bit subdued with Percy's disappearance, but _honestly_ , Jason couldn't tell.

What Jason _could_ tell was that the Zeus Cabin needed serious last minute decorating.

According to Annabeth, the Zeus Cabin hadn't been decorated for Christmas since the Big Three's oath, which could very well be never in the demigod's years. His sister, Thalia, had never spent a Christmas at Camp ("Except as a tree," Annabeth said with a wry smile, "and oh yeah, also one disastrous and memorable one, but she bunked in Cabin Eight.") and he couldn't imagine any of the other demigods daring to put up Christmas decorations with the statue of Zeus looming over head.

So here he was in the Big House attic, on Christmas Eve, with a seriously hyper Leo, searching for anything that even remotely resembled a wreath or tree.

"Dude," Leo called out. "Look at what I found!"

"If it's another drakon tooth, I'm not really interested-"

"Nope!" Leo cried joyfully. "It's some fuzzy dice that supposedly belonged to some Gus or the other. Apparently he stole it from Chrysador's Honda Civic-holy _heck_ , are those ventriloquist dolls?"

"Christmas decorations." Jason reminded him. "Ventriloquist dolls are cool and all, but this is Christmas not Halloween."

"Totally think you could have made a nativity scene with these dolls if you had enough creativity."

Jason tried to resist rolling his eyes. "Just-let's just finish this, alright?"

Leo cast a curious glance back at the puppets. "I'm bringing them down."

Jason turned around to look at Leo so quickly, he tripped over a box he hadn't seen. In the hazy sunlight that streamed through the tiny window, he barely managed to read the legend on the upturned box: EXTRA CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS. He took in the spilled contents: baubles, and angels, and bells, and cardboard cut outs of snowmen and Christmas trees. Upon further inspection of the crate, he found candy canes, a holly and mistletoe wreath, some funky looking tinsel and a set of lights among other decorations.

"Wow," Leo said; Jason started-he hadn't noticed Leo come up. "Guess we got what we needed. This is a lot of stuff to be kept locked up in the attic. Let's take it down."

And so they did. They found Chiron waiting at the edge of the ladder. He looked relieved. "Oh, you boys are back! I was a bit worried since it's been ages since any one went up there-not since the last oracle-"

Chiron broke off abruptly.

Immediately, Jason realised that perhaps the box had been left in the attic for a reason.

Leo-bless his soul-broke the silence. "Were we not supposed to use this?"

Chiron let out a stressed laugh. "Oh, no, no. It's fine. I just hadn't seen the box in a pretty long time. We used it till a couple of years ago-you're free to use them."

"Are you sure?" Jason asked warily. "Because if it's important-or if there's some sentimental value attached to it-"

"Jason," Chiron cut in kindly. "It's Christmas. There's sentimental value to everything. I'm sure."

"Okay." Jason said disbelievingly. "Okay...as long as you don't mind."

Chiron didn't say anything. He just nodded.

"Well," Leo said, "We don't have all day, Superman. Let's get to decorating your Cabin." He skipped out of the Big House.

Jason followed him mutely out the door. At the last minute he turned back. "Chiron, are you-"

"Just do one thing alright?" Chiron interrupted. "After you put everything up, would you mind putting up the lights you find in the box on the pine tree?"

Jason blinked, "Thalia's tree?"

Chiron smiled, and not for the first time, Jason could see the years he'd been forced to endure in his eyes. "Exactly."


End file.
